Sin Is Alien, not Natural

Recently a friend quoted a common Christian proverb: “Sin is not something we do. It is what we are.”

I protested: “Sin is alien to humanity. It is an intruder, a disease. It is not the essence of being human. So it is not accurate to say even of egregious sinners, 'Sin is what they are.'”

In response, my friend wrote that he was “vile.”

I think I understood his intent. I certainly recognized his words. This kind of language has a long and broad history in the literature of Christian spirituality and even in theology. But I was perplexed. How could this friend, a life-long Christian, an Adventist minister, an apparently sweet, good person be “vile?” How could it be accurate to say he IS “sin”? Here is my extended musing on this conversation:

I am sin.

I am vile.

I am a worm.

I am a piece of garbage.

I am no better than anyone else.

I am sinful through and through.

These are approved self-descriptions by Christians. Not just brand new Christians fresh from their careers of running drugs and women up and down the I-5 corridor or decade of meth addiction or twenty years of victimizing boys in Pathfinders or wrecking companies and lives through vulture capitalism. (Not apocryphal stories, except the last one. I don't personally know any regenerate vulture capitalists.) No, these are approved self-descriptions for people who were baptized and raised to new life, have spent thirty years daily inviting God to fill them with his Spirit, regularly read their Bible, consciously manage their money under the sovereignty of God, practice forgiveness and sexual continence, say grace at meals and believe that God is loving, generous, empowering and transformative.

I know these kinds of self-descriptions have a long history in Christianity. (See my note below on two hymns that employ the word “vile.”) But I have become utterly dissatisfied with them. If they were appropriate and accurate they would be sufficient reason to reject Christianity and look for a better religion/philosophy.

If dying and rising with Christ in baptism and daily requesting the infilling of the Holy Spirit for thirty years produces people who are vile and sinful through and through, it would be irresponsible to recommend Christianity to young people. Secular cognitive behavioral therapy does a better job. Secular hedonism does not do any worse. Buddhism does a better job. A life of meditation produces people who are compassionate, peaceful and happy. That is certainly preferable to “vile and sinful through and through.”

Further, if the words actually mean what they sound like they mean, we should prohibit Christians (people who are vile and sinful through and through) from serving as pastors, babysitters, Little League coaches, doctors or nurses. I would certainly do everything in my power to make sure my daughters did not marry a Christian.

As Christians we have a very high ideal—the life and teachings of Jesus. Our clear vision of that ideal and our awareness of our own condition enables us to see room for growth in our lives. Christians who speak of themselves as vile and sinful intend to honor the exalted goodness of Jesus. They are affirming height and nobility of the ideal. But taken at face value, their words contradict the tenor of Jesus' teachings (John 8:11; Luke 10:33; Mark 12:32-34; Mark 9:36-37; Mark 10:14-16; Matthew 9; Luke 9:47-48; Matthew 25 [In three dramatic parables Jesus condemns AND commends. There is no reason to obscure his commendations and exaggerate his condemnations.])

“Room for growth” is not the same thing as “vile.”

We don't need to denigrate people—including ourselves—in order to exalt Jesus. And if Jesus is so incompetent that with all the power of the Holy Spirit, all the wisdom of his teachings, all the efforts of his church, and all the faith his followers can muster, Jesus is unable over the course of three decades of tutelage to raise his followers from vile to commendable, then Jesus is the problem not the solution.

I, of course, think better of Jesus. When I instinctively tell myself I'm a worthless piece of junk because of some sin of omission or commission, I now correct myself. I failed. Yes. But that failure is not the pattern of my life. And I am not worthless in the service of God or humanity. I may be tainted with sin, but I am not sin through and through. In fact, most of the time, not only my intentions, but my actions are holy. I am generous. Not always. And not with absolutely pure motives. But my generosity is certainly as much “me” as are my impulses toward pride or selfishness.

And I am convinced the same is true for you and many other followers of Jesus.

You are not vile.

You are not sin.

You are a competent, devoted follower of Jesus. Sometimes you err. Sometimes you stumble. But those errors and stumbles are not the essential you. Proof of this is your disappointment with yourself when they occur. If these things were the real you, you would respond to them differently.

I would be disappointed if my children thought of themselves as vile, failures, embarrassments to their father, as worms. Our heavenly Father is no less disappointed when those who have devoted themselves to his service for a lifetime diss themselves.

When God talked about Job, he bragged on him. “Have you seen my servant Job?” When Jesus spoke to his disciples shortly before they all chickened out on him, he said, “You are all clean.” He said of his disciples, “You will do even greater things than I have done.” When the 70 returned from their mission trip, all excited, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall from heaven.” The devil was defeated by the 70! Jesus said so. When Mary dumped perfume on Jesus in a socially gauche but spiritually rich demonstration of affection and appreciation, Jesus was delighted. “She has done a beautiful thing to me,” he said. “Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Mark 14:6.

I believe God brags on you. And if God is bragging on you, when you diss yourself, you are contradicting God. I think we would do better to agree with our heavenly Father.

Note on hymns that feature the word “vile:”

The classic hymn, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins” celebrates the truth that even if I am as “vile” as the thief on the cross, in that fountain I can “wash all my sins away.”It is a sweet affirmation of the largesse of heaven. No matter how horribly I have screwed up, no matter thoroughly I have allowed the vileness of sin to permeate me, Jesus offers hope and healing. The song does not intend to suggest that Christians are stuck in perpetual vileness till death or the Second Coming.

Unfortunately there are hymns that eloquently state the darker view of human vileness, vileness as the essential, natural state of humanity. Note this from Isaac Watts:

Lord, I am vile, conceived in sin,
And born unholy and unclean;
Sprung from the man whose guilty fall
Corrupts the race, and taints us all. . . .

While guilt disturbs and breaks my peace,
Nor flesh nor soul hath rest or ease;
Lord, let me hear Thy pardoning voice,
And make my broken bones rejoice.

This is a reworking of Psalm 51, David's lament after stealing Bathsheba and murdering by proxy Uriah. Note the goal voiced in this psalm (and hymn) is rescue from guilt, not growth in holiness, an increase in wisdom, or greater skill in loving.

I argue that the misery-driven words of a man fresh from an episode of adultery, perfidy, and murder are not a good foundation for constructing a healthy spirituality. They have their place in dealing with crises, like chemotherapy for cancer. But just as chemo is not part of an ordinary regimen for health, so vileness theology has no place in constructing a healthy spirituality.